Shmuel Kochman cuts salmon at HEB's kosher store.
Photo By John AndersonAs for fish, anything that swims must possess fins and scales to be kosher, which is why shell fish (lobster, shrimp, clams, and oysters) and crustaceans (crab, crawfish) are not allowed. Birds that do not prey on others, like chicken, geese, duck, and turkeys, all get the kosher poultry two thumbs up.

So with all these specific laws, one would think that keeping kosher in Austin is a pain in the butt (which, remember, we said is not kosher). Well, that might have been the case here several years ago, but not so today. Two significant developments in the recent past have radically altered the situation here, prompting new interest and creating an increased demand for all foods kosher.

The first was the opening of Austin's only full-service, in-store kosher bakery at the Randalls market on Balcones and FM 2222. According to Kathy Lussier, director of public relations for Randalls stores, when the market was remodeled a few years back, Randalls decided to incorporate a fully supervised kosher bakery on the premises. Randalls recognized that with Austin's growing Jewish community, there was no place where kosher consumers could purchase a range of freshly prepared baked goods, from cookies, muffins, bagels, and challah bread (the traditional braided loaf eaten on Sabbath and holidays) to specialty cakes and baked party trays. Regular bakeries may use shortenings such as lard or animal fat from non-kosher cows in the baking process, which renders the goods unkosher. And even if permissible oils were used, the tables, pans, and utensils with which the items were baked may themselves have come in contact with non-kosher ingredients, again rendering the final baked product not kosher. So, to ensure the integrity of the baked goods that would satisfy an ever-growing kosher clientele, Randalls installed a completely kosher facility, complete with two separate baking units that conform to kosher standards.

One of the defining characteristics of kashrut is the requirement of separating meat from dairy. This separation not only pertains to the food items themselves, but to the utensils used in the production of meat or dairy products and to utensils used for the consumption of meat or dairy products, too. Combining meat and dairy-based foods together at a meal would not be kosher. So, eating a cheeseburger would be a no-no, as would a steak with a buttered baked potato. For purposes of kashrut, poultry is also considered meat, which would rule out eating chicken paprikash. Fish, however, along with staples like eggs, fruits, veggies, and grains, is considered neutral or "pareve" items and therefore can be eaten with either meat or milk products (although according to some views, fish cannot be eaten with meat together on the same plate).

In the baking process, two ovens are used at Randalls -- one exclusively for the production of baked goods that might contain dairy stuff (cakes, pastries) and one for churning out non-dairy-based items like breads and rolls. Therefore, according to kashrut laws, the dairy-based baked goods could not be eaten with anything meat-based, but since the store's breads are considered "pareve," they can be eaten with either meat or dairy foods.

So now I know where I can get a loaf of kosher rye bread, but what if I wanted to throw a hunk of kosher corned beef between those slices? A five-minute trip up to the Far West HEB will lead you to Austin's only full-service, in-store kosher meat market, where you will find not only a wide selection of deli meats but an entire range of freshly cut and prepared beef, poultry, lamb, and veal. At the helm of this bustling corner of the store is Tracy Cross, a man who can say without equivocation, "I love my job." The energy and exuberance he conveys when talking about this operation reflects the strong commitment that he and his staff share for providing a veritable kosher cornucopia of products to HEB shoppers.

Like Randalls, when HEB realized that there existed an unmet need in the city's growing Jewish population, the supermarket began planning to create a kosher store within a store. Teaming up with Rabbi Y. Levertov, the head of the Kosher Supervising Organization of Austin, who by this time was already supervising the Randalls bakery and locally owned Austinuts, the two created something that neither Austin, nor any city in the rest of Texas, had ever witnessed before: not only a fresh "glatt" kosher meat market, but a sit-down kosher deli that also sells kosher packaged and frozen goods, and kosher wines (wines and grape products must also be kosher). Even the more densely populated Jewish communities of Dallas and Houston had nothing like that at the time.

And since the day it opened three years ago, the store has witnessed impressive growth. Sales have climbed 60% since business first began in 1997. And the reasons for it are many. Aside from the exposure it instantly and obviously received in the Austin Jewish community, the store quickly became known to Jews across the state. It's not uncommon to see Jewish customers loading up their buggies with kosher goods and returning to their homes in San Antonio, Waco, and Corpus Christi.

But the store's appeal also crosses over to those who are not Jewish. Indeed, 80% of its lunchtime customers are not Jewish. And with the large midday crowds from nearby offices that visit its deli counter regularly, it was only a matter of time before word got out about the quality of its deli meats and sandwiches. It was no surprise, then, that the Austin American-Statesman recently bestowed HEB's kosher store with the honor of making the best chicken salad sandwich in town.

And if it's the quality of the meats that keep Jewish and non-Jewish customers coming back, much of that is due to the hard work of Shmuel Kochman, the store's ace meat cutter and, along with Frank Brock, one of the store's two maschgichim. Mash what? (That's pronounced mash-gee-heem.) "Maschgiach" is the Hebrew word for supervisor. These two men, appointed by Rabbi Levertov, are trained to ensure that all aspects of food preparation at the store adhere to kosher regulations. But Kochman, in addition to his supervisory duties, is also responsible for the presentation of the meat in the display case. His deft skill at trimming shows off the real quality of the meats that are sold, which explains, in part, why store sales have consistently been going up.
But fresh meats and deli food are only part of the store's success. Its kosher grocery section is the most extensive in the city. Tracy Cross prides himself at being able to offer kosher items that other stores might not carry -- like a wide variety of "pareve" or neutral foods, and upscale gourmet products, too. Indeed, according to Kate Brown, HEB's manager of public affairs for the Central Texas region, the kosher store has the flexibility to try out new products, much like HEB's Central Market does.

And while speaking about Central Market, although the number-one tourist spot in Austin does not offer a supervised kosher store, it does stock a good amount of kosher food products, especially during the Jewish holidays, like Rosh Hashanah, which begins on September 29 this year. However, just like the Far West store, it, too, has experienced growth in kosher food sales. Nona Evans, spokesperson for the store, attributes some of this increase to the fact that as kosher food manufacturers respond to an increasingly sophisticated customer base, they are revamping their packaging to create a more visually appealing look, which grabs not only the shopper specifically looking for kosher food, but the regular food shopper as well.

With the Jewish New Year upon us, lasting for 10 days until the Fast of Yom Kippur, kosher food labels will become more prominently displayed in some stores across the city. As you pass other shoppers milling about these displays, consider making their day by greeting them with the